Third Sunday After Pentecost
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Reverend Michael J. Moffitt
June 14, 2026
“God’s Love Through Any and Every Season”
Last week we talked about how the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to men and women. Throughout the Gospels we read accounts of Jesus’ power demonstrated through miraculous healings, authority over demonic spirits, over the forces of nature, providing for the needs of thousands with a few fish and several loaves of bread, and raising the dead all things that God can easily accomplish.
Our focus of last week was on the dealings of Jesus with the woman who suffered with an issue of blood and the raising from the dead of the daughter of the synagogue’s ruler from Matthew 9:18–26.
The touching part of these stories was the love and tenderness of the Son of God who stopped and took the time with the woman whose life had been horrible for 12 years and the care of the young girl who died.
We see examples of ordinary people who were not well known and who themselves offered nothing that Jesus needed yet were forever changed by the powerful life altering love of the Son of God.
Seeing and believing that the God who created all things was amazingly powerful is not hard to imagine. But that He was willing to restore the life of someone who was an outcast because of uncleanliness and to publicly proclaim her cleansing was such a God moment.
Try to imagine yourself being an outcast because of something that happened to you that was outside of your control. Everywhere you went you were rejected and forced to live alone even within your own family. Then the Messiah, the Son of God brings complete and total healing while publicly calling you “Daughter”. I guarantee you that those few yet powerful words were never forgotten. That was such an intimate moment and a powerful glimpse into the heart of our Savior.
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Today is the “Third Sunday after Pentecost.” Some have referred to this season as “Kingdomtide” reflecting a time of spiritual growth characterized by walking in the ways of Jesus within that kingdom. It’s the perfect opportunity to intentionally focus on what the Spirit of God has shown us in the seasons of Advent through Pentecost.
In other words we look back and see all that God has done in us and hopefully through us during the last season of the church from Advent to Pentecost.
This is how I see the disciples responding to the combination of all that Jesus had taught them joined together with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In each of our scripture readings this morning we see examples of the amazing love of God and why this fact should lead the way for us to continue to honor and obey his word regardless any and every circumstance.
Each of our passages this morning reveal to us the heart of God for his people. Actually, the entire word of God reveals to us a love that has no bounds poured out upon a people who didn’t deserve it. We can find his love even in the midst of his discipline.
The Book of Exodus tells the story of God fulfilling his promise to Abraham that it would be from his seed that God would raise up a people for his own possession. He delivered the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt and led them on the journey to the Promised Land. It’s there that God leads Moses and Israel to Mt. Sinai where he would make a covenant with them that would bind their hearts with his. God delivered them through many amazing miracles in Egypt and in their wilderness wanderings.
In chapter 19 Israel was camped before the mountain while Moses ascends to meet with God. It’s there that God gives Moses the words that he is to say to Israel. Listen again to Exodus 19:4–6 which is the promise and the condition that God made contingent if they were to receive the promise.
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ “These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
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By this time in the story Israel should have been convinced of God’s goodness and love for them. After leaving God went with them throughout their 40-year wilderness journey. His presence was always with them and God moved on their behalf demonstrating his mighty power and daily provision for their needs.
God went out of his way to reveal his presence in ways that only he could do, and he did this to reveal his love and provision. These stories teach us that we as Christians should strive to see what God has done and what he continues to do. The Israelites weren’t only freed because of their captivity in Egypt, they were set free to worship God and to join in his plan to redeem those in other nations.
Our enemy would have us focus on the terrible events around the world and the ugliness and difficulty that we often face daily. Even in areas where Christians are persecuted God moves in power bringing the saving power of Jesus Christ to many. We hear about the devastation in many places but seldom hear about the ways that Christians are bearing fruit even among those who have previously sought to harm them.
Our response should be prayerfully asking God how we can have the same passion for the gospel moving into the lives of the lost here in America, here in Heathsville.
Psalm 100 is a call to worship and praise God because “He is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations!”
We are exhorted to “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.” It’s important that we understand how Israel would have heard the message of this Psalm. Gates were an important part of life in Israel. In ancient Israel it was at the city gate where disputes were resolved, and judgment was given. It was through the gates of the Temple that they entered into worship with songs of praise on their lips. It was there that they would focus as the people of God who offered to him the honor and praise that is due him. He was their loving Shepherd, and they were the sheep within His pasture. There was no room for others gods or the practices of other nations, to let that happen was blasphemy and an invitation for God’ wrath and holy justice.
That has not changed. There is still no room for the demands of syncretism and interfaith dialogue that is so prevalent in many of today’s churches. It is still an invitation for God’s judgment and an unholy insult to the God of heaven and earth who is holy, holy, holy. God speaks to this through the prophet in Isaiah 42:8:
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“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
This is God who has revealed his amazing grace and love to his people, the one who has made us the sheep of his pasture.
In our Gospel reading from Matthew 9:35–10:15 Jesus uses two metaphors: shepherding sheep and gathering a harvest. We see Jesus modeling what it was to be the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for the sheep. He lives in their midst; he heals them of their afflictions and diseases because he has compassion on them. However his analysis is that the state of things suggested two pictures: a neglected flock of sheep, and a harvest going to waste for lack of reapers. Both imply not only a pitiful plight of the people, but a blameworthy neglect of duty on the part of their religious leaders.
Most of us have learned that in the ancient Middle East to be a shepherd is the lowest, least respected job that a person could have. Whether or not the sheep were cared for and protected properly depended on the commitment of the shepherd. If the shepherd was a hired hand he wasn’t likely to lay down his life for the sheep when wolves or bears attacked the flock. His priority was his own self-preservation, not the sheep who were prone to wander off or scatter when predators attacked.
In John 10 Jesus refers to himself as the “Good Shepherd” who is willing to lay down his life for his Fathers flock. In Matthew 10:7–8 Jesus sends out the disciples to proclaim that
“‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”
This would prove to be their new jobs as the under shepherds sent to gather and tend to the flock of the “Good Shepherd.” He would equip them with all they needed to gather and care for the sheep that the Father gave to the Son.
Actually there is real irony in this. The disciples correctly believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God who throughout the gospel of John declared to them all that he was.
• I am the Bread of Lie (John 6:35);
• I am the Light of the World (John 8:12);
• I am the Door (John 10:9);
• I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14);
• I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25);
• the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6);
• I am the True Vine (John 15:1).
Throughout the gospels the disciples see themselves as those who were the chosen disciples of the Messiah who had come to make all things new. They assumed that Jesus was going to take the throne of David and lead Israel to victory over Roman rule and any other enemies.
Of course they were right in the sense that Jesus came as the promised Messiah who in his humanity was the Son of David whose throne and rule would last forever. It’s just that he would not do this in the same way that the disciples and others who would follow him imagined. As the followers of Jesus they weren’t going to be his entourage who walked around with the power to administer the new kings demands. They were going to be shepherds who would gather and tend to Jesus’ flock. They would be tasked with loving them, teaching, protecting them from the evil one and laying down their lives for the flock.
They would be seen as lowly shepherds by many and the lowest rung in society. They would be mocked, rejected, persecuted, and killed but the reward would be far greater than anything they could imagine. Daniel 7:27 promises, “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
The irony continues as Jesus tasked them to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” In other words gather the flock teaching them to be disciples who followed the same path that was begun by Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of all things, the Alpha and Omega, King of
the universe. It would begin as lowly shepherds who continued the care and protect the flock but one day will rule and reign with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Why would they do that? Because they had experienced Jesus’ love, received his indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit and they had seen his power and authority.
Let’s briefly consider Romans 5:1–11. This passage reminds us—as perhaps no other passage in the Bible—that in Christ Jesus love has been given a new and far higher meaning. In Romans four, the topic was faith and the example of Abraham by faith believing that God would fulfill his promises.
Chapter five begins a change of topic. Those who come to Christ through faith are justified or made righteous in the sight of God. So those who are justified have peace with God; access to grace; and hope of glory, all through Jesus Christ.
Paul points out that these are not merely blessings that we will someday have but in Christ we already have.
The culmination of the list comes in verse five where we read that the hope of glory will not leave us wanting. We no longer have reason to live in shame. Why? Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Every blessing on this list is for those who have been justified by faith. Even in times of struggle God’s amazing immeasurable love overcomes. Who is the object of this love? The weak (verse six), and then in verse eight, the ungodly. Finally “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Weak, ungodly, sinners! The description continues to get worse in verse ten where we discover that we were God’s enemies, in addition to weak, ungodly, and sinful. Still, we have been “died for.” “At the right time Christ died” for us, the ungodly. The right time was “while we were yet sinners.”
We didn’t make the decision to change to the point that God would find us acceptable. Jesus laid down his life to save us, but from what? He saved us from the wrath of God.
It’s so important that we get this. God’s love does not require that we measure up to his standards. We could never do it. We are born into our sin nature and have no hope apart from the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The amazing news here is that we are not the focal point of this story: it is God revealing his love and defining what his love means. Apart from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit we could never grasp a love like his.
I love Isaac Watts old hymn, “When I survey the Wonderous Cross.” The final phrase of the hymn explains the proper response to a love like we find in God through his Son. “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
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So there we have it: God’s definition of love. It is a love that does not return evil for evil. He dealt with our weak, ungodly, sinful enmity by taking our punishment to the cross. He now deals with us daily by pouring love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. So we are justified—at peace with God, have access to God Thanks to his gracious favor we have joy because of our victorious hope of glory. All this is God’s love. The kind of love encountered by the woman with an issue of blood and a young girl who died and was then resurrected, along with countless others who have received this love as the best news ever.
Brothers and sisters this is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for sinners so that they could be justified before God. The problem of the need for laborers to be sent to harvest still remains. There are sheep that still need to be gathered into the fold.
Will you go? Will you be sent by God to accomplish that which is dear to his heart?
Let’s pray.
